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Mark Wahlberg Fighter sequel

While accepting the Spike TV Award for Guy Movie of the Year, The Fighter‘s star and godfather Mark Wahlberg reiterated his intention to take “one more run” at the Micky Ward saga with another film. In a NSFW acceptance speech, Wahlberg reminded fans that Ward’s greatest moments in the ring — his epic trilogy with the late Arturo Gatti — weren’t included in the initial film, which nevertheless earned Oscars for co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo. “We left [those] fights out for a reason,” he said, “because that’s for Fighter 2. We’re not going to do Fighter 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, but we’re going to do 2.” Watch his speech, which will air on Spike on June 10, after the jump.

The Fighter was a surprise box-office hit, earning more than $129 million worldwide, so talk of a sequel is at least warranted. But there are as many reasons not to make another Fighter as there are to do so. Pro: The template for turning the original Rocky into a franchise was just as untested, and that series ultimately grossed more than half a billion dollars. Con: Does Wahlberg really want to turn this character into his career? Pro: If you can’t build a solid movie around the Gatti-Ward bloodbaths, you shouldn’t be in the movie business. Con: The Fighter wasn’t about Micky Ward the Boxer. It was about the Ward family, and that story was resolved in the first film. Pro: If he’s ever going to make a sequel about Ward, Wahlberg has to do it soon while he’s still in his physical prime. Con: Are you willing to settle for a sequel without Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, or Amy Adams, three eclectic artists who could decide against it?